One of the cool parts of working in the niche industry of aerial thermography is making connections. We have come to develop a strong working relationship with a thermal imaging service provider that is based in a different state. From time to time, they receive a request for a thermal roof scan of a property in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and when they do, we are the company they call to execute the task.
Project Background
They recently asked us to do a thermal roof scan of an elementary school in southwest Dallas. The roofing company had been initially tasked with doing an overlay job over the existing roof. But before proceeding with the project, they wanted to get a better idea of the possibility of moisture within the existing roof structure.
So, our job was to perform a routine thermal roof scan to help the roofing company navigate the process — either proceeding with the overlay job or do a complete roof overhaul.
The Process
Being a somewhat larger structure, for this particular job, a 2D thermal roof map was requested. So, we did our usual pre-project planning that consists of the following:
- Checking weather to determine the best date and time to conduct the scan.
- Checking airspace and Temporary Flight Restrictions in the area.
- Creating the parameters for the autonomous thermal roof map data capture.
Click here for more information about our thermal roof maps.
We decided on a suitable time for the scan, and when the time came, we packed our gear and hit the road.
Thermal Roof Map Data Capture
We started out with the autonomous data capture to generate the 2D thermal roof orthomosaic. We had already created the drone flight plan ahead of time, but we briefly flew the drone around the building to verify its height and adjust these flight plan parameters accordingly.
When it was time to begin, we initiated the autonomous flight, and over the span of approximately 25 minutes, the drone flew the entire roof and captured 522 thermal images.
Manual Data Capture
After the autonomous capture process was complete, we swapped batteries and put the drone back in the air. This time, we flew around each portion of the roof and manually captured thermal images. These images would later be processed and analyzed separately to be included in the final report.
Creating the Thermal Roof Map
We uploaded all 522 autonomously captured thermal images to our preferred thermal map processing software. Then, it went to work stitching these images together to create the following:
As you can see, this product is essentially a detailed Google Maps type overview of the roof structure overlaid with thermal data. This product helps clients get a broad overview of potential moisture-affected areas. It also helps facilitate general orientation when viewing the manually captured and analyzed images that are also included in the end product.
Analyzing Individual Thermal Images
We then processed the manually captured thermal images in advanced thermal analysis software. During this process, we tune the images (adjust the contrast to make areas of concern stand out) and annotate areas of concern.
Here are a couple of examples:
As you can see, we have annotated areas that show evidence of possible moisture ingress. These images coupled with the thermal roof map make for a comprehensive analysis tool that roofing companies can utilize to drive the decision-making process.
In Closing
Equipped with a formal report containing the thermal roof map and an assortment of manually captured thermal data, the roofing company can now make a more informed decision on the scope of the project.
For more information about our infrared roof scan, check out our services page.
